Pioneer A05 - What do we know - FAQ attempt

[yellow1]

Having just bought a Cendyne 4x, I'm ploughing through the posts and thought a little summary of questions/findings could be helpful for newcomers like me.

1) Installation:
a) It seems the drive only works in PIO mode, whcih might be just as well since Ultra DMA generally led to "communication problems", with the A04.

2) Burning Programs:
a) Nero works but apparently only at 2x?
b) PrassiDVD doesn't recognize the drive
c) others?

3) Media reports:
a) 2x DVD-R - Haven't seen any reports of cheap media available in the US working properly, even the Ritek 2x that work with the A04 FWw 1.31
b) 4x DVD-R - Haven't seen any reports and ther are rumours that discs might not be compatible with DVD drives.

I've certainly missed important things so feel free to correct/add

TIA

[yellow1]

no A05 users here?

One thing to add to the list. Seems you can't rip movies (no key found) with DVD Decrypter. Haven't tried others yet.

[DracUK]

No probs here with latest version of Dvd Decryptor and Pioneer 105.
Ripping lovely.




DracUK

[yellow1]

yep, got that fixed too. I'd never played a DVD and that was apparently needed to selet the region.

Still curious about feedback on media!

[boblx2]

I have the Sony DRU-500A and the A05. The Sony works with almost any media + or -. The A05 hardly works with anything. I have thought about returning the A05 but I had such great service from my A04's that I keep hoping for a firmware upgrade from Pioneer such as we had already for the Sony. I can't believe Pioneer will let the A05 just flounder. I have found one reliable disc for the A05 and that was a blue Princo -R/W disc. Most others failed. I have a box full of coasters to prove it.

In any case they were both bought for their 4X features which will not be realized for quite some time I think. By the time the media is released and gets down to a price I can afford they will probably both have several firmware upgrades. Somewhere on this forum there is a list of the media that works with the Sony, not sure about the A05 though.